Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
by MarvelAsh
Summary: Children are going missing. Each one in the same woods. Four nights before they are taken, a letter appears on the ground outside their cabin or tent. L.O.S.T. And then they are gone. When Agent Cameron Morgan of the AEGIS3 is assigned a new case, she is confident that she can handle it. Its the new partner that may throw her over the edge. Because he's supposed to be dead.
1. Chapter 1

**New story! Yay!**

**Okay, so here's the deal... I really want to write this story. And I will. But to be completely honest, whether or not I post this story depends on you guys and how much you like it (read:reviews and favorites)**

**This is kinda a trial post. If I get a bunch of people who want to read it, then I will keep posting. But if not, I have college and I can't use my time on posting a story no one will read. **

**(Don't want to be that author that gives ultimatums.. Reviews just motivate me :)**

**This story is loosely based on a book I read when I was younger, called Children of the Lost. I hope you guys like it!**

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If it had been any other subway station, Agent Cameron Morgan would have been dead. Fired, but dead first and foremost.

And that didn't bother her as much as it should have.

At the moment, she sat in her boss's office, waiting for her boss to arrive. Her boss seemed to be taking his good old time, however, and all she could think about was the turn of events that had come about.

Cammie absently played with a newly torn hole in her sleeve as her thoughts turned to earlier that day.

It wasn't supposed to be messy.

She had found herself running through New York City at a frantic pace, attempting to dodge the pedestrians along the way, and barreling through the stubborn ones who refused to move. There were some things Cammie considered more important than a commuter's ego.

Things like the 22 year old woman that Cammie had been chasing through the streets. She was an unknown hacker that had just appeared on Cammie's radar a few days ago. She went by the alias 'Bennett', and had begun an almost unnoticeable hack into thousands of online bank accounts all over New York City, stealing a little less than a dollar from the savings accounts every day. The money had piled up quickly, but slow enough that she stayed under the radar.

It was by accident that her name had even shown up on Cammie's desk. An elderly old man, one of Bennett's victims and a parsimonious man in nature, had kept pride in his ability to manage his accounts, especially now that everything was electronically monitored and tallied. Along with watching his online balance, he had hand-written accounts of every penny he ever spent. The mistakes had quickly added up, and he took the matter to the authorities soon after.

Just in time.

Bennett had hacked into government banks just hours after.

Cammie had tried to simply confront the hacker and take her in. Easy. Except, the suspect hadn't agreed with her plan, and instead decided to run. No matter how hard Cammie tried, she couldn't seem to catch up with the hacker. The distance between them had stayed the same.

The chase eventually brought them into the busier areas of the city, away from the slummy internet café Cammie had initially confronted Bennett in. Right as Cammie was tiring, Bennett took a sharp right turn and careened down the stairs into the subway station.

Cammie had smiled. It had looked like things were about to get much easier. She felt a second wind rush into her body, and her pounding footsteps brought her closer to the seemingly tireless criminal.

It was all fine. Cammie had it under control. That is, until they reached the subway platform, surprisingly bare for the late afternoon hour.

Bennett shoved through a group of people standing near the platform edge and barreled through, accidentally knocking into a little girl. In a turn of events that Cammie could almost see coming, the small child flew into the air and landed on the tracks below, too stunned to even cry out.

Cammie had made a split second decision. And no matter how much Bennett needed to be stopped, saving a life was infinitely more important.

So, she had raced to the edge and dropped down beside the child, bending over to quickly scoop the girl into her arms. And of course, seeing as she hadn't had enough excitement and adrenaline that afternoon, the next thing that penetrated her vision was the blinding glare of an incoming train.

It was in every handbook. Every manual. Every warning. Never _ever_ freeze. Don't try to climb up onto the platform. Everything Cammie had ever read was screaming in her brain, telling her to run, run away from the train and climb up the ladder that should be on the edge of the platform. It was protocol.

Except they weren't there.

Cammie had looked around frantically, but the fact stayed the same. This station didn't have any ladder leading from the tracks to the platform.

Oh, they were _so_ getting written up.

A quick glance at the tunnel showed that she had maybe 15 seconds left. She had run over to the platform, trying to climb up. Who _cared_ what the manuals said. Anything was possible with enough adrenaline, right?

Maybe.

Except adrenaline didn't do much when you had been running through the city, and now held a flailing child in your hands.

Cammie had shoved the little girl into the only waiting arms that were jutting out from the platform edge. For some odd reason, no one else was near enough to help. And they were New Yorkers. They were conditioned to ignore their surroundings.

The man had quickly grasped the child and tried to juggle her around so he had an arm to help Cammie up, but there was no time.

Cammie had made a split second decision. One that, in any other subway station, would have ended her life. But Cammie had grown up in Gallagher Academy. She knew the odds that what she was about to do wouldn't work. She knew that most of her old teachers would've been proud of her guts, and horrified at her stupidity.

But she also knew, with one glance, that the height of the wooden beams that crisscrossed in large rectangles (human sized rectangles) under her feet were just barely tall enough to work.

6 inches.

And then she had dropped to her stomach in the middle of a rectangle and prayed.

The experience had been unlike anything that had ever happened to her before. Nothing at Gallagher Academy had prepared her for the gut wrenching experience of feeling a subway train fly directly over her head, missing her by mere centimeters. The hot gusts of wind that ruffled her hair, terrifying her as she hoped desperately that it wouldn't fly up and catch on the undercarriage. The nails-on-a-chalkboard screech of the brakes as they still tried to stop and miss her.

_Too late!_

The subway had finally slowed to a stop, one of the cars still resting right over her body.

After that, everything had turned to a blur. It had taken an hour and a half for everything to get sorted out. They hadn't moved the subway right away, as the conductor had a panic attack, terrified that he would kill Cammie on the way back. Communication from under the train was difficult, but by the time the police arrived, she had finally been able to convince them that she would be fine.

After all, it wasn't like she had been trained as _spy_ or anything.

She had spent the last 30 minutes at the station, putting on a mild persona for the cops and skillfully avoiding the cameras that appeared. By the time she got up the subway stairs, there was already a car waiting to take her to the office.

Cammie sighed. Her boss was a very strict person, one who preferred low profile over everything else. Not only had she let Bennett get away, she had also gotten trapped under a train.

Her boss wouldn't care that after the fact, no one could remember exactly what her face had looked like. The fact that no one had actually gotten her on camera.

Cammie shifted in her seat. Four and a half years ago, she may have been nervous. But not anymore. She didn't care anymore.

Her boss would be right. The Chameleon might as well have failed completely. She knew better. She could do better. She _had_ done better.

But none of that mattered at the moment. It hadn't mattered in a long time.

The door slid open and Cammie's boss stepped into the room. He was silent at first, footsteps making no sound in the thick carpet beneath his feet. He finally stopped behind his desk and sat down in the big chair. The silence continued for a few minutes more before he finally looked up.

Edward Townsend stared her down. "What happened?"

Cammie rolled her eyes. He always was one for dramatics.

"Bennett knocked a little girl off the tracks," she shrugged. "Had to save her."

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about why you threw all protocol out the window and _ducked under a train_."

"Sir, you of all people should understand that there are some cases where protocol had to be chucked and you have to improvise." Cammie stared back.

"ETA?"

"Less than 20 seconds."

"Platform assistance?"

"One man, holding the girl."

"Ladder?"

"None."

Townsend's eyebrow arched up. "None?"

Cammie shrugged again. "Safety code violation."

"And you didn't jump up to the platform because?"

"At that point I only had five seconds, platform was high enough that I'd need a running jump, and the wooden beams were just tall enough," she smirked. "I'm a small person."

Townsend shifted in his chair. "How long have you worked for AEGIS3?"

"Four years," Cammie answered easily. "Six months after graduation." It had taken them four of those six months to even consider joining. The events that happened right before graduation had killed her. She knew what was coming next.

Something in Townsend's expression changed. She could almost see the slightest bit of worry, caring.

Almost.

"Are you okay?" On anyone else, the gruff tone would've sounded rude and abrasive. On him, it was almost gentle.

"I'm fine," came the standard answer. "Never better."

Townsend didn't respond. He never did. They both knew her answer was a load of crap. They both knew that the adrenaline she got on missions and the lives she saved were the only things that kept her going most days. And they both knew that she had a pretty good reason to lie.

"AEGIS3 is not a new agency." Townsend began the speech he generally gave the new guys. "It is smaller than normal, but it has been growing rapidly over the past decade. It's becoming an invisible world power in its own right.

"It stands for Acumen, Enforcement, Guardian, International. And the _S_ cubed. Security, Service, Strategies. Acumen: the ability to understand and reason. Enforcement, Guardian. We enforce laws and guard those who need it. International: that one is pretty self-explanatory. We have hidden bases all over the world. Security, Service, and Strategies. These are self-explanatory as well.

"The aegis is a part of ancient Greek mythology. It was a symbol of protection, of security. It was the shield that Zeus and Athena used, and the gorgon's head on the front would scare its enemies half to death before they died at the bearer's hands-"

"No offense, sir," Cammie interrupted. She could only take so much. "You have said all of this to me several times before. Why is this relevant at the moment?"

Townsend smiled apologetically. The sight of it sent Cammie's stomach plummeting. Nothing good ever came of his smiles, but that wasn't what put her on edge. It was the apology. "Oh, I wasn't talking to you."

There was a sudden shuffling noise behind Cammie. She whipped around in her chair and her heart froze in its place, much like it had almost five years ago.

"I was talking to him."

At that moment, Cammie didn't even care that she hadn't noticed anyone enter the room. Because the man who was leaning against the wall, smirking at her, wasn't supposed to be here.

This wasn't Zach Goode. It couldn't be.

Zach Goode was dead.

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**Okay! First chapter is up! Want it to continue? **

**Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Seriously, college is crazy. And it's only the fourth week.

Sorry it took me so long to update. Hopefully it'll be more frequent, but I make no promises.

For this story, because of my crazy schedule, whether or not I continue it will depend on the amount of interest. So, if you guys love it, please review and favorite. Life is crazy at the moment.

I hope you like it.

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_Townsend smiled apologetically. The sight of it sent Cammie's stomach plummeting. Nothing good ever came of his smiles, but that wasn't what put her on edge. It was the apology. "Oh, I wasn't talking to you."_

_There was a sudden shuffling noise behind Cammie. She whipped around in her chair and her heart froze in its place, much like it had almost five years ago. _

"_I was talking to him."_

_At that moment, Cammie didn't even care that she hadn't noticed anyone enter the room. Because the man who was leaning against the wall, smirking at her, wasn't supposed to be here. _

_This wasn't Zach Goode. It couldn't be._

_Zach Goode was dead._

-:-:-:-

All of the rules and guidelines, handbooks and manuals. None of them had covered this. There wasn't a section on what to do if your best friend came back from the dead.

Cammie stared at him in shock. Her eyes were beginning to burn from the strain, but she found it impossible to blink. If she blinked, there was always the chance that he would disappear.

If Zach had ever had a baby face, it was definitely gone. His eyes and the strong curve of his jaw were the only things that hadn't changed. That, and his stupid smirk. He had buffed up, more rugged now than he had been before. Back when he was a teenage spy/assassin.

Zach's smirk disappeared as slowly as she stood up, completely gone by the time she was upright. All thoughts of Townsend standing behind her vanished entirely as she stood less than four feet away from a dead man.

It was only Townsend's next sentence that brought her back to the present.

"Your mission begins in 12 hours."

Cammie's head whipped back towards the senior agent, her eyes widening in surprise. "What?" She mentally winced. This was a _great_ time to seem unprepared.

Townsend gave her a look, a steel reprimand with underlying sympathy.

He didn't have to say anything. Yes, she should have been listening. But _honestly,_ did she not get any slack considering the circumstances?

This was Townsend. Of course she didn't.

Townsend slid two files across his wooden desk. Cammie tensed almost unnoticeably as Zach walked closer and grabbed the thick file with his name on it. As soon as her body had relaxed, Cammie did the same. She sank back down into her seat and opened it.

The case file had a few character profiles in it, her face gracing the top of one of them.

"Several cases of kidnappings have been reported, the most recent ones being within the past two weeks. The first one was seven years ago."

"Seven years? Why haven't we heard of this before now?" Zach's voice floated from behind her, moving closer as he sat down in the padded chair that sat opposite hers.

"The authorities who took care of the case looked into it. There was little to no evidence, nothing to suggest that anything had happened. It was eventually forgotten. However, within the past 12 months, it has begun happening again and again.

"Every case has taken place in the woods. Families go camping, or visit a cabin in the woods over a period of at least four days. In the middle of the first night, a letter is carved into the ground outside the tent or cabin. By the fourth night there, a child is missing from the cabin, and the only evidence left is the word 'LOST' on the ground outside."

Cammie's eyebrows flew upward. This was more serious than she had originally thought.

"You'll be leaving in one of AEGIS3's more…understated planes. And then you will leave for Nevada. We've gotten intel from a few connections near there. The plane will land in Carson City, and you'll travel by car from there to the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness. It is a federal area, and also the same general spot where each of the kidnappings took place."

"They all happened in the same spot?" Zach asked.

"The Carson-Iceberg Wilderness encompasses over 160,000 acres," was Townsend's reply. "You'll be staying in tents. The equipment you need will be on the plane, as usual. The rest of the necessary information is in the folders."

The note of finality in his voice rang loud and clear.

Cammie closed the folder and stood up, automatically moving towards the door. She headed down the hall, barely stopping to grab her coat and bag before she headed out the front doors of the non-descript building.

It did not go unnoticed that a certain dead ex-partner did not follow her.

-:-:-:-

People only have five senses. It was a well-known fact, according to most civilians. And the internet. Which was perfect proof that the internet was wrong. While most people (read: civilians) only had senses, perfect genetics and years with a spy mom at the Gallagher Academy had perfectly formed Cammie's sixth sense until it was flawless.

Which is exactly how she knew that she was being followed. While it wasn't Zach (she had already made sure of that, and she hadn't even needed to look) it was definitely someone who wasn't a stranger to the spy game (which, if you think about it, isn't too much different than the child's game of cops and robbers, just with a little more blood and bullets.)

Cammie took a quick right into the nearest alley, one she knew would lead her through the rougher parts of town before depositing her by a subway. She kept it cool, giving away no indication that she was being followed.

Moments later, Cammie whirled around and lashed out at the stalker, catching him/her with her well trained foot in the person's gut. A breathy wheeze escaped from her small pursuer. It was definitely a female. Cammie slammed her forearm into the woman's chest and pushed her against the brick wall.

Today was _so_ not a good day to tick her off.

"So," Cammie's tone was cool, calm. Dangerous. But only if you knew her. "Care to explain why you were following me?"

"Dang, girl," the familiar voice spoke up. Bex pried Cammie's arm off of her person and stepped away from the wall. "You need a vacation." Bex eyed Cammie up and down. "What exactly have you been doing while I was gone?"

Bex had been on an extremely sensitive mission in Iran the past few weeks. She normally walked home with Cammie, but the past few weeks Cammie had gotten used to taking the trek alone.

Cammie stared ahead, avoiding Bex's gaze. "I've been busy."

Bex's face took on a troubled look. "Cammie, this isn't healthy. I know it was hard, but-" she stuttered to a stop. Something wasn't right. Cammie always interrupted her when she spoke of what happened all those years ago. "What is going on?"

Cammie turned and continued walking the long path to her apartment. Or at least the subway that led to her apartment. Their apartment.

She wasn't ready for this. This was not in the plan. No, the plan was to continue working as many jobs as she could, and then someday…stop. Whether it was from old age and incompetency or from being killed in the line of duty. Although, if she was being honest, the second one was preferred. She didn't want to outlive her usefulness.

Her plan had been working. The adrenaline kept her alive, kept her moving.

Until it was oh-so-simply ripped into dozens of shredded pieces twenty minutes ago.

No. Cammie shook her head resolutely. No, this didn't change anything. Yes, it was unexpected, but he couldn't just show up after all this time and expect things to go back the way they were before. She wouldn't forgive him that easily.

Her plan was fine. Her life was fine. Slightly shaken, but fine.

Cammie paused her train of thought long enough to realize that Bex was following her like a shadow, albeit a more noticeable one now.

"Bex, go home." The steel in her voice was not missed.

Bex didn't even flinch. One, because she was Bex, but also because this was normal.

"I am," was all she said.

-:-:-:-

It took Cammie another 10 hours before she finally told her best friend. Only two hours left before she had to catch a plane. Only one hour that Bex could use to yell at her in heavily accented English.

Cammie walked into the living room and sat down on the large couch that Bex was currently sprawled across. She sat for a moment, knowing that Bex was fully aware of why she had come in there.

"He's back."

It only took two seemingly innocent words to render Bex speechless. A new record.

"He?" Bex's accent was heavy, her eyes flashing.

Cammie nodded. She braced herself for the inevitable, however, what happened next was completely unexpected.

Bex blinked. Her mouth opened and shut again, giving off the impression of a dazed fish, one that wasn't quite sure where the worm on a hook had come from, or why it was currently above water.

"Cam-"

"It's not going to change anything."

Bex's eyebrows flew up. "It's not?"

Cammie shook her head. "He's dead to me."

"Cammie, maybe you should hear him out. You don't even know what happened."

"What _possible_ excuse could there be?" Cammie shook her head. "I don't know. I just want to get through the next few days. I have to be at the tarmac in 40 minutes. Townsend assigned us to the same assignment."

Bex straightened up indignantly. "What?"

"It's business. It's my job. It _won't_ be personal." Cammie stood up and dragged her dad's old army bag from the hall closet. She never had been much of a packer. Her eyes drifted past the brand new luggage in the back, and she braced herself for the rush of emotion, but none came. The lack of emotion wasn't as startling as it should have been. Was she even feeling anymore?

Cammie slammed the door shut, on both the closet, and the memories, and went to go pack.

She would be fine. She _was_ fine.

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Let me know what you think :)


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